You and the Moon and Neptune
by miss.sprinkles
Summary: Another popular get-together in Grafton Underwood and of course our favorite characters aren t missing. Mark, the buttoned-up child and Bridget, the lively whirlwind have another encounter and share a very special interest. Just some short story, loosely based on a song by the wonderful band "Ecosmith" (you should check it out)


This is a loosely base one shot on the song "Bright" by Ecosmith. I've heard the chorus and thought of this.

Again all Characters belong to Helen Fielding and their performing actors. I also don't own the song or have any rights on it.

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"Mark why don't you go outside and play with the other kids?" Elaine Darcy crouched down to look her son, who sat on the first step of the stairs, in the eye.

"I don't know them" he said looking down on his brand new black shoes he wanted to wear today.

"First of all, you know if this is because of the shoes, I don't care. We can buy you new ones. And secondly you know at least one kid. You know Bridget!" Elaine said standing up in one movement. Mark sighted. "Come on, maybe it'll be fun" she pulled him along back into the garden where a few kids were running around screaming loudly.

Somewhere in the middle of the bundle of kids the youngest and smallest was screaming and yelling the loudest. It was a young girl maybe almost five years old.

Her blonde fine hair pulled together to two braids. She was wearing a light blue dress with little bees on it and had no shoes on. He already knew her, his mother invited her to his birthday party a month ago, where she ran around half naked and was a real whirlwind.

Mark was standing near the cavorting children who now found a ball and kicked that around. Bridget was running and laughing around sometimes kicking the ball.  
One of the older children, a girl called Julie Enderby, walked up to him. "I don't know why she is playing this boys game. She isn't at all behaving lady-like" she said with a hoity-toity voice. Mark just shrugged and turned around to go back inside. He didn't like Julie at all, she was bossy and a tell-tale.

When he came back some sort of accident happened. Bridget sat crying on the floor, her and his mother tried to calm her down. While he took another glass of water, several mothers, including his own took care of the crying girl. Somebody went and came back with a patch and the whole situation was resolved quickly.

It started to get darker and a few party guests left, taking their children with them. It got quieter and Mark, as the oldest child, actually started to enjoy the party a little bit. There where still children playing but not as loud as earlier.

He went to one of the bigger trees and sat down in the dry grass, leaning against the solid stem of the tree. He listened to the whisper of the little leaves and closed his eyes. He wasn't an outgoing child and found his joy rather in the simple things than the overly active games of the others.

"What are you doing here?" a girly voice asked curious. Mark opened his eyes and looked into the face of Bridget Jones. She had a blotch choclate on her left cheek an chin and looked somehow sticky.  
"I am listening..." he simply said.  
"To what?"  
"The rustling of the leaves"

She looked up and drew her brows together as if she was thinking about something really hard.  
"I don't hear a thing" she said after a split second.  
"You need to listen more carefully." She listened again for the maximum of thirty seconds.  
"I don't like this game...it's boring." "No it's not. You just have to be patient" Mark said slightly annoyed.

"I know a much better game!" she announced and tried to pull him up.

Why he got up he couldn't explain afterwards. Perhaps this time curiosity overruled.

Bridget pulled him into another edge of the garden, away from the trees and pointed at the sky. "Look all those stars. Mommy says when I am in school I'll learn all avout them." Mark looked into the dawning sky. While on the one side the sun dived the few clouds into flaming reds and orange, the other side was almost black and a few bright stars sparkled like diamonds.

"What is that star called?" asked Bridget and pointed towards a slightly shimmering star. Mark had no clue, he wasn't really interested in astronomy and he was so close to tell Bridget that he had no idea, until he saw her face.  
It was filled with a mix of excitement and curiosity. He couldn't possibly disappoint that little face.

He looked back at the star. "I guess this is called Sirius." He wasn't quite sure but he read somewhere that the stars often were named after antique heroes and gods.  
And what did a four-year old knew anyways about the night-sky.

He pointed in a direction somewhere in the nightsky. "I assume somewhere there is jupiter because it is summer now and it looks like he is travelling on the sky." "Oh like that spaceship in that story...about the teddy bear who wanted to see the moon" Bridget intereupted him. "I want to see the moon Mark...where is the moon? Show me the moon!" she jumped up and down excited and stopped to make big puppy eyes. "Pleeeeease!"

Mark chuckled. Finding the moon wasn't a difficult task. It was right there almost back to it's full state and gleamed silvern in the nightsky. "Do you see that big silver shimmering plate?" He pointed at the moon. "That's it." Bridget squealed. "He almost has a face, hasn't he? Mark?"

In her excitement she grabbed his and and squeezed it and Mark found it actually quite nice and a warm feeling filled him. Maybe Bridget wasn't so small and childish like it seemed. He could actually talk to her without feeling any pressure to behave superior because of his age.

"Bridget? Where are you? We are leaving!" Mrs Jones yelled. Bridget averted her gaze from the sky and looked into Mark's eyes. She smiled and suddenly hugged him. At first he was surprised but returned the hug. "Thanks for playing with me, Mark" she said and looked at him. Her mother yelled for a second time. Bridget started to run in the direction of the house but stopped and faced Mark again.

"Byeee!" she said and the dashed away.


End file.
